Civil Aviation Union appeals THY decision to lay off 305

The Turkish Civil Aviation Union (Hava-İş) said on Thursday it has appealed to a court demanding a reversal of a decision by Turkish Airlines (THY) to fire 305 cabin crew and technical staff on grounds of an “illegal strike.”

A total of 350 THY staff went on a work slowdown this week in protest of an expected vote in Parliament to revoke the right of aviation workers to strike. The carrier employs around 17,000 staff. THY workers said they followed a call to slow down work by Hava-İş, which also said on Thursday that it is considering new protests. The government announced that aviation workers should not have the right to strike since such moves “make the entire country pay.”

Tuesday's strike left some 100,000 passengers stranded at airports, THY stated. The airline had to cancel more than 200 domestic and international flights, with many others delayed over two days due to the strike that began early on Tuesday. Parliament voted in favor of the controversial law late on Wednesday.

In a written statement on Thursday, THY said the company suffered a $2 million loss due to the strikes, while it regretted that the carrier's reputation was also harmed.